News Post

The House of Representatives has passed a Bill seeking to amend Act CAP. N110 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and enact the Nigeria Football Federation Act to provide for the administration of the game of Football in Nigeria and for related matters 2016. The sponsor of the bill Hon. Edward Gyang Pwajok, in his lead debate during plenary on Wednesday stated that the Principal Act (the Nigeria Football Association Act) came into being in 1992, to regulate all football activities and the administration of the game of football in Nigeria. "On the 24th July 2008, the Annual General Assembly of the Nigeria Football Association sat in Makurdi Benue State and resolved to change the name of the Association to “the Nigeria Football Federation” he informed.

He averred that the Bill seeks to repeal the Nigeria Football Association Act 2004 CAP 110 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, to enact the Nigeria Football Federation Act 2016; adding that following the declaration of the change of name of the Association during the Annual General meeting in July 2008 to “the Nigeria Football Federation”, the Law regulating the Federation needs to be changed to the Nigeria Football Federation Act as against the Nigeria Football Association Act.

He further informed that the main objective of this amendment is to bring our Law in line with International best practices, saying some of the changes that have been made which are not in the existing Laws are:

1. Section 2 of the new Law sought to be enacted is more elaborate than that of the Principal Act, it states the objectives of the new Law as follows:

a. To improve the game of football constantly and promote, regulate and control it throughout the territory of Nigeria in the light of fair play and its unifying educational, culture and humanitarian values, particularly through youth and development programmes.

b. To develop, promote, control and regulate the sport of association football in all forms throughout the territory of Nigeria.

c. To draw up regulations and provisions and ensure their enforcement.

d. To protect the joint interest of its members

e. To respect and prevent any infringement of the status, regulations, directives and decisions of FIFA, CAF, WAFU and NFF as well as the Laws of the Game and to ensure that these are also respected by its members to mention just a few.

2. Section 3 of the new Law complies with the provisions of Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Principle of Federal Character.

Hon. Pwajok concluded his debate by saying that Football activities in Nigeria have faced a lot of challenges and interventions from external bodies like FIFA which is the world’s football governing body, with FIFA sometimes threatening to suspend Nigeria from participating in any football activities due to lack of adequate Laws regulating the Nigeria football governing body (NFF) as against the (NFA).

"The Principal Act has so many lacunae as highlighted above and thereby fallen short of adequately regulating the present day NFF, this Bill seeks to fill all the lacunas created by the Principal Act by enacting the new Nigeria Football Federation Act in line with the present day growth in the football community" he concluded.